Dennis+K

Welcome to Dennis' wiki. This space wil be used to share writing, collaborate on writing pieces, and support the summer institute, advanced institute and writing in general.

Famous Dave’s

The word famous identifies the referent as one who is noted for something. Dave’s restaurant is clearly noted for barbeque and ribs based on the cues from the menu and the wall décor. Previous fellow diners are quick to comment that the ribs are great or get I always get the pulled pork. Hmm! Do I want someone pulling my pork and then serving it to me?

After select a dish I know I will like I gaze around at the teachers dining at one of our summer institute lunches. Dave is famous for barbeque and ribs. Each of us is noted for something. What might that be? Of course you can’t answer that question for yourself. I would be interested in knowing what gift each of these educators believe I possess. Jeff, the self-described whale lover, could be noted for his sacred writing fetish. Tonya is the tech wizard who seems to have, yet, another way to solve every tech problem we encounter. Kayla has her cheers. “Thank you! Thank you, very much!” said in our best Elvis voices. Melanie has written and shared some delightful personal experiences, as has Mary. Surely, she hasn’t taught that long. Mary was the first to dig down deep and share from the deep recesses of her heart. Amy V has organizer written all over her. She had the brain food chore settled so quickly and then jumped at the chance to be on the events committee. Go, Amy, go-ooooo!

Shelley’s author’s chair reading Babar accompanied by her son on the piano was dynamite. So Shelley is creative and has a talented musician in the family. Holly is resourceful. Maybe it was the Montana upbringing. I can see her in Walgreen’s asking for film canisters and scouring her house that will arouse the sense of smell and generate some writing. Shea has been quiet so far. Her talent is still hiding from me, but she is on the spot tomorrow for the writing prompt. I’m expecting some good things in the morning. Amy M has a cute cheerleader way about her. She’s mellow and quiet and then suddenly she springs into action. This morning we stared out the window watching the rain pour down in sheets, when Amy leaped to her feet with a shriek as she dashed out the classroom door mumbling in frustration that she left the moon roof open on her husband’s car. Joe appears to feel out of place, but he dives deep with his writing. Julie is the only middle school teacher, but she has a way with words. She’s going to share a piece soon that will pull our hearts into the throat. Steve has a confident air and he borders on humor and surprise in his comments and writing. He wears bold language quite well. Raylin had to be a mathematics teacher. She is precise and wants her world to be that way. Keep asking those questions, Raylin and Melanie. Bonnie’s forte hasn’t quite emerged as yet. She has leaped into the electronic portfolio work with both feet. I am excited with the possibilities with Steve, Shelley, Julie and Bonnie spearheading that effort.

Our TCs are awesome. I can’t imagine a summer institute with Sally’s teacher demonstration. I always like my first play-dough pencil holder and then she says destroy that first draft. Tear it up! I know those words are coming, but darn it, Sally. That first draft was good. Why do I forget so quickly once I get to that third draft? Shelly is a kindergarten surprise. She wears a constant smile as she leads us down the language road. Efficient Sherry is on top of everything it seems. How does she think of every detail before we get there?

Dennis is so handsome, intelligent, and youthful. How can he be such a wonderful professor with so much experience and wit? Oops! Someone else has to testify about my strengths.

Coffee

Coffee is my drink of choice.

Java is a close second.

We have neither, you say.

Well, make it a cup of joe, then.

This is a hoot!

The joke in my family is dad smelling something or identifying what that strange odor may be. My wife regularly says, “do you smell that? or, what is that smell?” How do I answer? “What smell?” I say. Then I am greeted with laughter or frustration because I am not able to confirm that some smell has invaded our house.

My taster doesn’t work very well, either. Recently a son visited and brought some unusual flavored jelly beans. After a few minutes of exchanging pleasantries he carefully selected a jelly bean and held it out to me. He placed it in my hand while giving me the directions to place it in my mouth and identify the substance. Cautiously, I put it in my mouth and methodically moved it around to hit all three of my taste buds, while concentrating on trying to determine the taste. Eyes were fixed on my efforts. When I finally announced that it tasted like soap, wide eyes and surprised looks greeted my answer. Mister “I can’t smell anything, or identify the taste” nailed the answer to the mystery.

Well, my son and family quickly recovered and selected a second mystery bean. Whispers and body language told me they were carefully selecting a flavor that would challenge the most astute tasters in all of the land. The chosen bean was confidently handed to me and I quickly tossed my head back as I popped that bean into my mouth. As the flavor hit my taste buds, it was propelled outward and landed on the counter amid a generous coating of saliva. As I grabbed a towel to free my tongue of the terrible taste, my actions were greeted by an hilarious uproar from my family.

I couldn’t identify the taste, except to say that it was nasty. I have never tasted sardines before and I doubt I will.

Strange Sounds

You have heard about my difficulty identifying smells, yesterday. Shea’s writing prompt, which I will get to in a moment, reminded me of a recent incident in a rental car that was similar to the thumping sound in Shea’s prompt. We had landed at Pittsburgh International Airport, claimed our baggage, signed for the rental car, loaded our luggage into the trunk and off we went heading south for West Virginia. Barely onto Route 22 leaving the vast airport my lovely wife asked if I heard that strange sound. Sound, I was concentrating on road signs, heavy traffic, road construction and getting to our destination. That is how the male, especially this male, is wired. However, I resurrected my sensitive side and calmly remarked to my concerned wife, “What sound?” She repeated her question and immediately I could sense her mounting concern and stress.

Suddenly, I spotted a pull off area amid the construction barriers and swerved off the road stopping on the shoulder out of the traffic flow. After placing the transmission in park I exited the vehicle and circled around the back of the car looking at the tires for a sign of trouble and the thumping sound. Just as I rounded the back of the car and could see the passenger’s side I spotted the source of the mysterious thumping or wrapping sound. My wife’s raincoat belt extended through the car door jam and was flapping in the wind against the outside of the car. I quickly solved the problem by drawing my hunting knife from my boot and slicing off the coat belt. The problem was solved and the strange wrapping sound eliminated.

Now if you believe that solution, I have some great land in Florida I want to sell you. How did I get a knife on the plane? Why would I carry a hunting knife on a vacation trip? Besides, I do not wear boots, and especially not while flying.

What I really did, was open the car door and raise the mud-splattered belt in front of my wife while I calmly told her that the it was caught in the door and the wind flapped it against the cars’ exterior. Her concern about getting stuck on the road immediately vanished and I was, once again, a hero.

My gosh, time is running out and I haven’t got to Shea’s writing prompt about a thumping sound in the trunk of a rental car. I just say that the sound was our daughter pounding to get our attention, so we would let her out of the suitcase.